Thursday, October 15, 2015

Melbourne 2015 Part 1

I went to Melbourne over the last weekend to attend the Animal Activist Forum but also to eat a lot of food. I achieved both missions.

Choosing accommodation is important for any trip, and I hit AirBnB with a goal in mind. I wanted to find somewhere close to the Fitzroy end of Brunswick St, and specifically Smith & Deli (more on that later). I found this absolute gem. Perfect location, easy walk to all the food (7 minutes to Smith & Deli), a tram stop right outside to get you to the city (where the conference was), but also very walkable if you are keen for a stroll (took me under 20 minutes to walk home from Melbourne Town Hall). If you are looking for a place to stay in Melbourne I recommend this one, plus there is a cat called Max!

Anyway, back to Smith & Deli. Smith & Deli was opened this year by the people who run the amazing Smith & Daughters, and I have dreamed of going there forever! I got in on Thursday afternoon, made my way from the airport to my AirBnB and then went straight to the Deli. I arrived too late to have one of their famous sandwiches, but it was more afternoon tea time anyway and boy did they do afternoon tea well!

I had a vanilla slice and a jam doughnut. I am not sure if there was some coconut fat in the vanilla slice, because I did feel slightly ooky afterwards, but it was so good while I was eating it. The passionfruit icing was perfectly tangy! And the doughnut was good as well, with a hefty dose of jam in the center.

Thursday night is trivia night at Cornish Arms, a pub that has a separate vegan menu. I was super excited to meet up with my friend Michelle for trivia. A Sydney friend Elizabeth (aka MC Pony) also came along, plus some Brisbane vegan friends who were also in town. We came third (with a bunch of other teams), but really it was about the food. I had been looking forward to their weekly vegan special of Peking Duck Pancakes, but they were all out! Devastated! Elizabeth and I ended up sharing a pizza and a pot pie. The Hawaiian pizza was, I'm sad to say, really not that great. The toppings were uneven, and their inclusion of large chunks of strange and fatty mock chicken were out of place. The crust was pretty average as well. Michelle had the Souvlaki pizza (also pictured here), which she said was good, it certainly looks more appealing.

The pot pie we shared was much better, though was really more a shepherds pie with a cheesy mash topping rather than pastry. I think the filling was based on the Lamyong meaty mushroom chunks. The gravy was outstanding! Chips are always welcome, and I was glad of the peas as a spot of green in an afternoon and evening of very beige eating.

Brisbane friends Bec and Carol both had the parma, which I didn't get a photo of but it is hilariously giant. Bec chowed it down with impressive gusto!

But my eating didn't end there. I had also bought a cute mini lemon and raspberry cheesecake from Smith & Deli and it was waiting in the fridge for me when I got home. Amazing. Beautiful buttery biscuit base with a tangy light creamy center. So good.

The next morning I was straight back to the Deli for breakfast. It was not very busy there, and the lovely staff answered all my questions about coconut oil content of different things (sadly the croissants were out for me, they are only available on Saturdays if you are interested in them). I ordered my first of several delicious chai lattes. They make the best chai! And I also ordered and Egg McMartinez, which has a tofu egg, bacon and cheese (BioCheese, which is coconut oil based but a single slice does not hurt me), I also got some aioli with it. This was super yum!

And then I went back to the Deli immediately for second breakfast. Another chai and a delicious Vegemite and Cheese scroll.

Here are a few more photos from Smith & Deli, with their yummy bakery cases.

I haven't gone to Smith & Deli in aaaaaages. I wasn't a big fan of the Hawaiian pizza at the Cornish either. The 'chicken' on the pizza is the same mock meat that's in the souvlaki (at least it was when I had it months ago).

The mock chicken stuff is not great. I think I will stick with a burger next time. Or maybe split the parma with someone. Or maybe they will have a good special!You should go to S&Deli all the time. Do it for me.

Lover of Kittens and Kitchens

I have two great loves in my life. Firstly are the wonderful beings that are kitty cats. Second is vegan cooking in all its forms. So don't freak out if you find a stray cat hair settled into your cupcake.
I am a cat vet and I am also lucky enough to share my life with my fabulous girls - Dim Sim (small and black) and Sahara (cinnamon Abyssinian). Also my angel cat Gizmo, who may have left us but is never forgotten. I've been a vegan since September 2000, and haven't looked back since! I don't really make my own recipes, what I do like to do is make other people's recipes (I have shelves of vegan cookbooks) or eat out, take photographs and then share the results.